November 2002
FMCA’s Executive Committee is made up of the national president, senior vice president, secretary, and treasurer, along with the 10 area vice presidents. FMCA members were able to learn more about the four nationally elected officers when their resumes were published in the July 2002 issue prior to the election at FMCA’s 68th Premier International Motorhome Extravaganza in Hutchinson, Kansas. This is not the case for the national area vice presidents, who were each elected by their respective areas. So, in an effort to help FMCA members become acquainted with the national vice presidents, we have provided brief information about each of them below. (Note: At press time committee appointments for the 2002-2003 term were still in the approval process, so that information was not able to be included here.)
Jim Ammenheuser, F157201, South Central Area
Jim and his wife, Kitty, have been members of FMCA since 1992. They are members of seven FMCA chapters: Texas Outlaws, Cruisin’ Cajuns, Gulf Coast Cruisers, Foretravel International, Frustrated Maestros-South Central, and FMCA Chapter: Habitat For Humanity®. Jim served as president of the Gulf Coast Cruisers in 1994, president of the Texas Outlaws in 1995, alternate national director of the Gulf Coast Cruisers from 1997 to 1999, senior vice president of the Six-State Rally Association from 1997 to 1999, and president of that association from 1999 to the present. He served as rally master for the Six-State Rally held in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Jim and Kitty worked as seminar monitors during the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, convention in 1994 and served as technical seminar volunteer captains in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1998. Jim assisted the area vice president in establishing the area organization and organizing the 1996 Six-State Rally.
Jim currently is serving his fourth term as national vice president, South Central Area. During the 2001-2002 term he was a member of the Convention and Rally Committee and chairman of the Education Committee. He served as a member of the Convention and Rally Committee in 2000-2001 and as chairman of the Education Subcommittee from 1999 to 2001. He also served as a member of the Finance Committee during the 1999-2000 term and the Membership/Member Services Committee from 1999-2001.
Jim has served in church, service, business, military, and professional organizations over the years. He holds a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the University of Florida. He was employed by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company for 45 years, retiring in 1998. He and Kitty have merged two families together and have been married 16 years. They have adult children in Texas and Alabama and seven grandchildren.
Donald H. Crawford, F11012, Great Lakes Area
Don and his wife, Kathy, joined FMCA in 1973. They are active charter members of the Ontario Overlanders chapter. Don has served as president, national director, and alternate national director of the chapter. The Crawfords also are members of the Ohio Nomads, Prevost Prouds, and Great Lakes Converted Coaches chapters and were charter members of the Converted Coach chapter. They have attended 24 international conventions and several area rallies.
Don is now serving his third term as national vice president, Great Lakes Area. Don served on the FMCA Legislative Advisory Committee for a number of years up until 1998, and was a member of the President’s Council from 1997 to 2000. From 2000 to 2002 he served as chairman of the Policy and Procedure Committee, and during the 2000-2001 term he was a member of the Membership/Member Services Committee.
Don has worked for 32 years as a trial lawyer, handling civil and criminal cases on a trial and appeal level. He has served on panels for continuing legal education, including law school and police college programs. His volunteer activities outside of FMCA have included serving as president of the local Rotary Club; involvement in church activities; and serving as a member of the London Transit Commission, with which he spent four years as commission chairman. Don and Kathy have three adult children.
Max A. Durbin, F76454, International Area
Max and his wife, Joanne, joined FMCA in 1986. Max was appointed to the Legislative Advisory Committee in 1998 and has served as chairman of that committee since 1999. Max participated in the Legislative Advisory Committee’s roundtable seminars at a number of FMCA conventions and also has provided these seminars at many area rallies. As a member of the Parking Layout chapter, he has assisted in parking at all but one FMCA international convention since 1999.
Max was elected secretary of the International Area in 2001, and he and Joanne served as wagon masters of the 2002 International Area Rally held in San Antonio, Texas. Max and Joanne belong to 12 chapters: Alice Detrick Fan Club, Earth-Bound Saturns, Florida Wanderers, FMCA Chapter: Habitat for Humanity®, Friends of Children, Gulf Coast Pelicans, Monaco International, Parking Layout, Snowbirds, We’Come, Wild Goose, and Xplorer International.
Max received a bachelor of science degree from St. Louis University and worked for 33 years in local government in various capacities: as a city administrator in Kirkwood, Missouri; as chief of police in Flint, Michigan; and as a police commissioner in Warren, Michigan. He has attended the FBI National Academy and the Department of Justice’s National Police Executive Institute. In addition, he has served in a leadership capacity for many professional associations and civic organizations. Max and Joanne have five grown children who are now raising their own families.
William W. Gowen, F93847, Northeast Area
Bill and his wife, Diana, joined FMCA in 1987. Bill served as charter treasurer, alternate national director, and national director for the Maine Wheels chapter. Diana served as president of the Maine Wheels. Bill was a charter member of the Northeast Area Motor Home chapter (now an area association). He was a member of the committee that worked to get the FMCA monument erected in Hinckley, Maine. Bill and Diana are members of several chapters, and are honorary members of the Northeast Area’s newest chapter, the New England Race Chasers.
Bill was elected FMCA national treasurer in 1995 and served three one-year terms. He has served on various committees, as follows: Nominating Committee, Finance Committee, Management Committee, Long Range Planning Panel, information systems advisor, Policy and Procedure Committee, Wage Review Board, Convention and Rally Committee, and Membership/Member Services Committee.
Bill and Diana have attended 18 FMCA international conventions. Bill was involved in obtaining permission from the U.S. Navy and Department of Defense to hold the FMCA convention in Brunswick, Maine, in August 2002. He served as a member of the parking layout crew for the winter 1999 convention in Perry, Georgia, and the summer 1999 convention in Ames, Iowa, as well as at a number of Southeast and Northeast area rallies. Bill and Diana served as hosts and rally masters of the Northeast Area Rally for the past two years.
Bill currently is serving his fourth term as national vice president, Northeast Area. During the 2000-2001 term Bill served as chairman of the Long-Range and Development Committee and also as a member of the Finance Committee. Bill served as the liaison between the Executive Committee and Bostrom Consulting Associates during a management review of the national office in 2002.
Bill has been active as a member and past president of the Rotary Club, in the Episcopal Church, in the chamber of commerce, on local hospital boards, and as a member of Porsche Club of America. He is a member and past master of Temple Lodge No. 86, AF & AM.
He graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a degree in business administration. He was the founder and managing partner of a local CPA firm and retired in 1993. Since 1972 he has owned and operated commercial real estate in the Portland area. Bill is the corporator at Androscoggin Bank. He and Diana have four children and seven grandchildren.
Mary Lawler, F119890, Southeast Area
Mary and her husband, Russ, joined FMCA in November 1989. They have spent the past 13 years actively working with the Florida Panhandlers chapter and at all of the Southeast Area Rallies held during that time in Titusville and Brooksville, Florida. Mary volunteered at international conventions from 1997 to 1999 in the exhibitor registration office. She served as volunteer coordinator for three Southeast Area rallies (1996-1998) and was responsible for the commercial portion of the rallies held in 1997, 1998, and 1999. She also served on the Southeast Area Nominating Committee for three years.
Mary currently is serving her fourth term as national vice president, Southeast Area. She served on the Membership/Member Services Committee from 1999-2001; the Education Subcommittee from 1999-2001; and as the Executive Committee liaison to the Youth Activities Committee from 1999-2000. During the 2001-2002 term Mary served on the Education Committee and on the Convention and Rally Committee.
Mary spent 20-plus years working in the Washington, D.C., area as a secretary and administrative assistant with various government agencies. She owned and operated her own business for five years in southern Maryland. After returning to Florida, she spent approximately three years working with the Talquin Electric Cooperative.
Mary and Russ have been married for 31 years and have seven children and seven grandchildren.
Donald E. Moore, F154921, Midwest Area
Don and his wife, Darlene, joined FMCA in 1992. They are members of four chapters, including the Lincolnland Coachmen chapter, and Don previously served as chapter vice president. He also served as delegate to the Midwest Area Cooperative (MAC) for two years and as chairman of security for the MAC Rally for two years. Prior to being elected as Midwest Area vice president in 1999, he served as vice president of the MAC. From 1999-2001, Don served as a member of the Insurance and Risk Management Committee, the Membership/Member Services Committee, and the Education Subcommittee. During the 2001-2002 term he served as chairman of the Membership/Member Services Committee.
Don has worked in both the public and private sector. He has been a corporate executive, a small-business owner, and an elected public official, serving as mayor of Chatham, Illinois, for four years and as trustee for four years. He is currently retired.
Don is a Navy veteran, an American Legion member, and a past officer of the local Legion chapter. He is a member of Masonic Lodge and Scottish Rite in Springfield, Illinois. He and Darlene have been married for 50 years. They have two sons and five grandchildren.
Jim Phillips, F158824, Northwest Area
Jim and his wife, Ann, joined FMCA in 1992. They are members of the following chapters: Frustrated Maestros Northwest Musical Misfits, Klondikers, Monaco International, Monaco Northwest, Northwestern Bus Nuts, and Northwestern. Jim has served as first vice president (1996-1998) and president (1998-2000) of the Monaco Northwest chapter, assisted as co-rally master and as prize and gift chairman at several chapter rallies, and rewrote chapter bylaws and standing rules. He also served as a member of the FMCA Finance Committee in 1999-2000. Jim is serving his second term as national vice president, Northwest Area.
Jim is owner of a commercial real estate firm that operates in Oregon and Washington and was a lobbyist for the Oregon Association of Realtors from 1984 to 1998. He was a regional director for American Life Insurance Company, Mediterranean, and formerly owned an insurance brokerage firm in Seattle, Washington. Jim spent five years on active duty with the U.S. Army and 30 years in the Army Reserve, and retired with the rank of colonel. He attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, as well as the University of Washington in Seattle and Reed College in Portland.
Jim and Ann have seven children, 15 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Leonard E. Pigg, F133119, Rocky Mountain Area
Len and his wife, Joan, joined FMCA in 1990. They currently are active members of the following chapters: Arizona, Arizona Fishing, Anasazi, Elk International, Full Timers, Frustrated Maestros Rocky Mountain Rockers, and 3 T’s. Len also is a life member of the Pace Arrow Roadrunners chapter, an honor bestowed upon him by the chapter by virtue of his position as Rocky Mountain Area vice president. After serving as rally master on numerous occasions and on several committees (nominating and bylaws), Len was elected president of the Arizona chapter in 1995, and re-elected in 1996 and 1997. As chapter president in 1996, he presided over the 1996 Rocky Mountain Ramble, and he also chaired the 1999 Ramble, which broke all records for attendance. The Piggs have attended 16 international conventions, beginning with South Bend in 1991. In Las Cruces in 1995, they served as technical seminar volunteer co-captains, and they served as volunteers during both conventions in 1998.
Len is serving his fourth term as national vice president, Rocky Mountain Area. He recently helped to form the Rocky Mountain Area Association. Len served as a member of the Legislative Advisory Committee and the Membership/Member Services Committee during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 terms, and he also serves as the Executive Committee handicapped parking area liaison at FMCA conventions. During the 2001-2002 term he served on the Education Committee. He also has served on the Policy and Procedure and Youth Activities committees.
Len served in the Air Force from 1948 until 1970. Following retirement, he accepted a position with Bell Helicopter International in Iran, training Army personnel in maintenance and supply procedures. His civic background included stints as charter president in Lions International and president of a moderately sized homeowners association. The Piggs are longstanding members of the Lutheran church and have served in myriad volunteer functions. Len and Joan have been married 52 years. They have a daughter and a son, along with six grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
M.C. “Skip” Skipper, F119793, Eastern Area
Skip and his wife, Helen, joined FMCA in 1989 and became members of the Coastal Tarheels chapter soon thereafter. They are charter members of the Carolina Cardinals chapter, having helped to form the chapter in 1998. They are also members of the Penn Coachmen, Eastern Area Volunteers, American Coach Chapter of FMCA, and the Frustrated Maestros Eastern Sharps and Flats chapters. They are also honorary members of the Koala Knockabouts chapter. They were charter members of the Mid-Atlantic Pals and are former members of the Freightliner Chassis Owners Club chapter. Skip served as the alternate national director and president of the Coastal Tarheels chapter and as president of the Eastern Area Volunteers chapter.
Skip and Helen worked as security volunteers for the 1995 and 1996 Great Eastern Area Rally (G.E.A.R.), and Skip was chief of security at the 1997 and 1998 rallies. He and Helen were rally masters for G.E.A.R. 1999, 2000, and 2002. On the national level, Skip was chairman or co-chairman of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee for 2-1/2 years. He also served on the Membership/Member Services Committee from 1999 to 2001.
Skip served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 35-1/2 years, retiring in 1991 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is active in The Retired Officers Association (TROA) and has held several offices in his local TROA chapter. Until recently Skip was a member of the board of directors of the Federal Retirees Tax Equity Task Force in North Carolina.
Skip and Helen have been married for 45 years and have two children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Tony M. Vincent, F161584, Western Area
Tony and his wife, Betty, joined FMCA in 1992. They belong to six chapters: California Heartland, Elk International, Golden Gate, FMCA Chapter: Habitat for Humanity®, Monaco Romers, and Saturns In Tow.
In the California Heartland chapter, Tony has held the offices of president, vice president, and national director. He and Betty have served as trail bosses for many rallies. Tony served as chairman of several committees for the Western Area Rally in Indio, California, and he served three terms as the vice president of the Western Motor Home Association’s central area. Tony served as captain of the information volunteers during the 1997 FMCA convention in Pomona, California, and served in that group again during the 2000 Pomona convention.
After receiving a college degree in the 1950s, Tony went to work for Borden’s Dairy, which later was purchased by Knudsen Dairy. In 1977 the Vincents purchased Sierra View Creamery Inc., and Tony served as president until he retired in 1995. The Vincents’ eldest son, Gregory, now manages the company. Tony and Betty have been married for 49 years and have four sons and nine grandchildren. Tony also is an active member of a local Elks Lodge, and he and Betty volunteer for Habitat For Humanity.